Automotive companies select their composites partners

6 September 2012
| Reinforced Plastics magazine

The BMW i3 electric vehicle features a CFRP passenger cell.

♦ October 2009: BMW and carbon fibre manufacturer SGL Group form a joint venture to manufacture carbon fibre and carbon fibre fabrics for the automotive industry. The products will be used to produce carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) body components for the BMW i3 set for launch in 2013 (pictured) and the BMW i8.

♦ January 2011: Carbon fibre producer Toray and Daimler (Mercedes-Benz) announce a joint venture in Germany for the manufacture and marketing of CFRP automotive parts.

♦ February 2011: Audi and Voith, a German industrial group using CFRP in industrial plant design, sign a letter of intent for a development partnership focusing on the development and automated production of composite materials for automotive use.

♦ April 2012: Ford and Dow Automotive Systems sign a joint development agreement to research the use of carbon fibre composites in high-volume vehicles. (A couple of months later Dow announces plans to form a joint venture with Turkish company AKSA to manufacture carbon fibre.)

♦ August 2012: Cytec announces a strategic collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover to develop designs, materials and manufacturing concepts for the cost-effective use of composites materials in automotive structures.

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